Fantasy Tools of the Trade | MAIN

[eggsaladsandwitch]

» ELIJAH;
Though Elijah was a typically calm person, Avery’s blatant distaste for him sparked something close to anger in his heart. It stung a bit, though he would never admit it, that no matter what he did, Avery still put him on the same level as actual garbage. Nevertheless, he managed to suppress all these feelings and turn toward Avery, nodding. “Yessir,” He responded, his voice monotonous as he turned on his heel and headed to the kitchen, stomping only the slightest bit as he went.
The definitely over-encumbered trash can in hand, Eli opened the back door, closest to the dumpster, and, right as the door opened, Whiskers went running out the door.
Because of-fucking-course he did.
Blanching and dropping the trash can, the taxidermist took off after the cat, desperate to not let this poor old lady’s beloved friend die a second time. Just before the feline made it out of the alleyway, he managed to scoop the now-enraged Whiskers in his arms, holding onto him tightly despite the fact that the previously calm and loving fuzzball was now losing his ever-loving shit. Wincing as the stuffed cat’s claws dug into his arm, Elijah ran back inside, unknowing leaving the trashcan wedged in the door, open for any unsuspecting person to possibly sneak in.
Eventually, he made it back to his room, where, after slamming the door shut, he placed Whiskers down on the couch. Scowling at the scratches that now littered his arms, he patted the cat on the head, mumbling, “Go ta’ sleep,” and, as if by magic (who the hell knows how it really works, anyways), his commission was rendered back to its unmoving form.
He arrived at the meeting out of breath, a bit sweaty, just in time to hear that he would be paired with Sunny. He didn’t even bother looking in the singer’s direction, knowing her scowling face would be waiting for him. Just his luck, he figured. Everyone especially hated him today, apparently. Crossing his newly-mangled arms over his chest, he quietly sank down into one of the chairs, the abandoned trash can now the farthest thing from his mind.

»location; Meeting room
»mentions; ebb . D O V E SweetRose

 

[lostwanderer]

t e s s a

Tessa gave Luna a slight nod, as though she had expected her answer to be as such, as she took out a mouth guard from one of the cases in the box and went to the kitchen to sterilize it on the sink. From where she was, she could hear Avery giving his little speech as she shook off the excess water before she walked back to where Luna was, just in time to hear Sunny's diva session. She tried to stifle her laughter, only to come out as a snort and lightly shook her head to swallow the lingering traces, which was harder than it looks when the psychic shot back. She held the mouth guard over to Luna before she took out what seems to be a small aerosol spray and began to shake it to aggravate its contents, "You're well acquainted with this thing, so you know the drill. Five, four, three..." She murmured, taking off the lid with a flick of her thumb and aiming for the cut before she pressed the button as soon as the time ran out. She paused for a moment to watch the cut dry out as the skin mended itself together without leaving a trace, not being to able to stop a satisfied smirk from emerging on her lips as she put something to the bruise to make it go away. With one last look to make sure everything is all good, she put her things away and threw the used medical stuff in the trash, taking her sweet time in doing so as she hopped over to her closet to change into a more appropriate attire before she decided it was time to show her face to the meeting and brought herself a stroopwaffle to munch on along the way.

Upon arriving to the meeting room, she dropped herself on the first chair she found, tucking her legs under her as she tried to keep a semblance of attention to what was being said but failing miserably at it when her thoughts flew to the things she would rather be doing for the afternoon. Her food stock has been running a little low these days with all the stress eating she has been doing, so a quick visit to the grocery would probably do her some good, maybe she would drop by after her midnight run. And it seems she wasn't the only one with that problem, if she correctly understood what was being said. As soon as she heard what came next, a mischievous grin formed on her face, 'Make the recruit feel at home, huh? Home where, the bathroom or heaven?' She thought to herself, weighing her options for this so-called test, 'Ah, decisions, decisions... which one should I go for this time?' She tilted her head, carefully schooling her face to its usual nonchalance. Hearing that she was to be paired with Claire, it was just going to make her job slightly easier since she knew the performer could be quite cooperative when it comes to her schemes.

code by Ri.a

 

[AI10100]

Luna Saunders

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"Will I ever be truly free?"
location: The Co-op
with: Everyone
tags:

​

Luna snorted at Avery as he let the word slip. Of course Avery loses his cool. You'd think that in the four months she was gone, they would be able to keep their composure when they're in the same room. Big surprise, apparently not. Still, that was enough amusement for the day. She accepted the mouthguard from Tessa and popped it inside. She gave her a nod and braced herself for the spray, holding the back of the couch. And she knew that it hurts. She's gotten a couple of bad wounds before and those felt like she was thrown to hell then put back in place. So she was fully prepared for the pain. Definitely.

Or well, so she thought.

The moment the spray connected, Luna let out a grunt and she was just thankful for the mouthguard and she wondered if she ruined some part of that couch. She should probably apologize for that. Her eyes began to water from the pain. It was like getting stabbed again. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings and composure again and she quickly took out her mouthguard and began to breathe heavily, wiping her mouth and settled down. "Fuck." She grumbled. "Goddamn." With a few more moments, she didn't even have to look at her wound to know that it was gone without a trace. After that, she excused herself back to her room to at least get out of a bloody shirt and just slapped on a plain shirt and headed on to the meeting.

Luna quickly sat down in her usual position and leaned backwards. She wanted to say that her full attention was on the meeting but it really wasn't. But she got a gist of it. Like someone was apparently stealing from the food supply. "That was all me. I was hungry." Luna muttered to herself, not loud enough for the entire room to hear but someone closeby might. The next one reminds her that she has to talk to Rod about what she had lost but that could wait. She looked over to Chris when he was introduced and apparently their trials were going to be done in pairs. And she got paired up to Rod. Praise be. Though she wondered what kind of trial they can whip up for Chris. But wait James? She... hasn't heard of that name before. Was there a newcomer here?

Before she could ask about that, she was called up, so she began speaking as she stood up. "Well first up, good to be back guys. Great seeing you all again." She clapped her hand. "I've been gone for a long time but I have nothing to show for it. The special effects artist escaped me... again and again. Long story short, he's gone and I had to come back. Tessa, the paralyzing poison worked wonders... unfortunately for me." Luna rubbed her hands together before shoving them inside her pockets. "That little mission was supposed to be two weeks. I followed the plan but he seemed to be two steps ahead of me at all times. I chased him around all these months and I always had a trail. That's why I didn't go back but this bastard just seemed to know where I was all the time. He might be working together with someone we didn't know about. I had to ditch my phone - sorry about that Avery, I'll be asking for a new phone." She gave them a small shrug. "I'll spare you the details of my three and a half month long extension. Just that it was a big game of cat and mouse and he's still out there." And she swore to herself that he wasn't going to make it out alive if they ever find him again. He just made this fight personal.

"And, that's all I got." She looked back at Avery, as if expecting him to give her a lecture as he always did during failed missions. And sometimes when he's just pissed off about something. And when even the slightest bit of something wasn't right. And when he doesn't like a particular person. Hm. Well, in any case, she had already braced herself for the incoming disappointment. Time to just wait and see the exact words used.

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[. D O V E]

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[div class=fsize] Jung Sunhee [/div] If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.​

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It was obvious that Sunny wasn’t expecting Avery to snap back at her. She thought that he would crumble away like a wet paper but he didn’t. Her eyes widened when she heard him call her ‘dear’- a gnawing reminder of what they used to have. The little word rubbed salt to her wounds as her chagrin grew, although she did feel her heart drop for the briefest of moments. She was about to shoot him her retort when their surroundings finally caught up to her. Laughter resonated throughout the room as their small audience expressed their entertainment, reminding Sunny that it wasn’t just her and Avery in the room. She was basically fuming when the new guy claimed that she was bullshitting him after he was done laughing at her like she was some sort of a clown.

“Oh, fuck you all!” she threw her hands up in exasperation before storming off dramatically, thinking that nobody respected her anymore in the household.


…


Sunny used the free time in between the small drama which occured in Tessa’s room and the meeting to grab a quick breakfast. The meeting was already starting when she arrived. She took a seat right next to Luna just as Avery was finished addressing the food thievery going around the building. The singer listened to the next announcements with an apathetic face until he announced who would be paired with who. Sunny’s face immediately contorted in disgust upon hearing that she would be partnering up with the barn boy. Immediately, she shot a sharp glare at Avery, and if looks could kill then he would plop dead on the floor. “Avery, you petty bitch…” she muttered under her breath before slowly craning her neck to Eli’s direction. ‘How the fuck will I function properly with that guy? I can’t even last ten seconds without gagging!’ she whined to herself with a big scowl.

However, there was no room for complaints as Luna jumped right into her report. Sunny eyed the carver as she listened, actually interested to hear where her friend had been for the past four months. Her mouth formed a small ‘o’ as the blonde continued with her story until she came to its conclusion. Sunny smirked to herself knowingly as Luna stared at Avery looking like a kid who just broke a vase and was waiting for her mom to reprimand her. “Luna, you fucking dumbass. We’re just glad you’re back.” she began, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder, before eyeing the others with a look that suggests they better agree or she will scream, “Right, guys?”

With that, she returned her gaze to the taxidermist across, snapping her fingers to try and get his attention. "Hey, Barn boy, you do whatever you want with your challenge first. Please be a dear and try not to be so freaking weird this time, alright?" Sunny said before smiling at Eli. The songstress then flung her attention to Chris, "And I, will do whatever I want after." she finished, eyes glinting with mischief.

eggsaladsandwitch Athanas AI10100 ebb
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[ebb]

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AVERY
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Avery wanted to agree with Sunny, but being a leader wasn’t about chasing what made him happy. It depended on maintaining consistency, and Luna would understand that. Hopefully.

“Right.” He sighed, disappointment reading on his face. He left Chris’ side to return thoughtfully to the window. It was obvious that the mission was a challenge from the moment she showed up on the front door, beaten to a pulp- but he’d held out hope that she succeeded. A few months back, he was walking home from buying coffee when he was struck with a premonition starring Luna and a handful of things he’d have rather not seen. Hearing her report now took him back to that moment, searing Americano spilling out onto his hand as he stopped dead. Having to question Luna was like waking up one day and seeing your parents as people for the first time, with flaws and troubles of their own.

“While we are all glad to have you home, we can’t ignore the truth. You failed the mission and could be putty on someone’s face right now. Surely there was something you could’ve done? If you were struggling on you own, surely you could’ve borrowed a phone? Called for help? It sounds like you barely had a trail to begin with.” His voice was level and calm but sweat sprang up on the back of his neck. “This,” he gestured in Luna’s direction, “is an example of what not to do. When we leave here today I want everyone to think about what Luna did wrong and how you would have corrected the situation.” He softened a little. “Take this as a learning experience. No matter how long you’ve been in the game, you need to learn how to utilize resources.”

He clicked his tongue at Sunny. “Again. Resources. Maybe if we stopped complaining about the hand we’re dealt and started focusing a little more, we’d stop failing. I'm sure even Eli has his strengths. In fact, why don’t we all write a list of our partner’s strengths, as an exercise. I’m sure we’ll all be stronger as a team on the other side.” Processing Sunny’s tone as she implied taking liberties with her test, he glanced at Chris with concern. Dating Sunny showed him the chasm that was her ability to tear your heart apart like it was nothing.

______________________________​

You could spend every day exploring New York, and still manage to find something you’d never experienced before. Not that Avery did much exploring. He didn’t have time or the will. Having to brush against countless pasts, futures, and possibilities came crushing down like a head cold - he sniffed instinctually, but his nose was clear. He led his team behind him, tucking his jacket around him as the wind from the water barreled by. On the left, a trail ran under an overpass bridge, snaking along the water. To their right, several sleepy businesses were pruning their storefronts - small handfuls of people pausing to sip tea and eat breakfast. The trick to training in public was that it was more difficult to be cautious and not leave a trace than it was to burst in guns blazing. “Here’s one,” he jabbed his thumb at a middle aged man settled comfortably in a wicker chair, halfway through a butter croissant. “Let’s start easy. Whoever gets him to be uncomfortable enough to leave gets a drink on me. No injuries, no yelling, no being too weird. Make it believable,” he challenged. Knowing them, it shouldn’t be that hard.


AI10100 . D O V E Athanas eggsaladsandwitch

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[Goonfire]

Rodger Solveig

The new additions and return of Luna were were wonderful news, enough to improve Rod's mood. He resisted hugging the carver, as she was already beat-up enough without being crushed between the hams he called 'arms'. "Yeah, welcome back!" he cheered. "And uh... anyone else smell blood? Hm, must be Luna..." He didn't realize he had caught a whiff of the blood Chris had tried to clean off his clothing.

Before the meeting, Rod had rushed to retrieve samples of his project to present at the meeting. He came to the meeting, toting his key ring, which had what appeared to be a metal keychain fashioned in the shape of a piece of bamboo. Although he was fairly quiet during the series of lectures, he narrowed his eyes at the mention of this little exercise. "We'll also need to work on overcoming individual weaknesses, in case anyone gets separated from the group," he added.

ebb AI10100 Athanas

 

[AI10100]

Luna Saunders

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"Will I ever be truly free?"
location: Therapy
with: Rodger, Chris
tags: Goonfire Athanas

​

The mental preparation did help with lessening the blow but she'll be damned if she didn't say that it didn't hurt. But you know, it's fine. She'll just need to work harder to keep her reputation up. But Sunhee's reassurance was very much appreciated and the stark contrast between her and Avery certainly did take her mind off it. Well, for now at the very least. She adjusted her posture once the lecture was done and they were released. Apparently, they were first up in testing Chris. Her and Rod. Normally, she would go ahead and see their physical capabilities but she could find that out in another way.

She moved over to Rod, patting him on the shoulder. Putting up the strengths of her partner would be easy enough. Rod was an easy person to work with after all and her dependence on his works might help a bit with that. "Alright Rod. Let me just change out of my... uh... current outfit and we can talk about what we're gonna do with him." Luna motioned towards Chris before motioning the latter towards them. "Let's meet down at the common in ten minutes." She gave them both a pat on the shoulder before heading back to her room. She had wanted to rest even for a bit but maybe she can convince Rod for an easy challenge. Quickly changing to a better outfit to wear outside, she had half a mind to check her fridge for anything she could eat... but she figured that anything she put in there was probably taken out by her brother. God, she hoped he did or else she'd have to clean that up or just throw it out.

------
​

After a short discussion with Rod, they decided upon a very simple challenge. Drinking. Considering Chance's situation and Luna's failed mission, there was something that seemed so good about getting drunk even at the early hours of the morning. Besides, they could test just how much Chris could drink because she was half sure that most of their teammates were... light drinkers. And she could interrogate Chris about his past and what he could do and what he has done. She was sure that the others could test him when it came to his capabilities but she wanted to know who this guy is before approving of his presence in the co-op. You gotta make sure he wouldn't kill them all in cold blood. Not that it happened before...

Of course, where else would they go besides Therapy. The bar. Not actual therapy... that actually might help with some things but that was a problem for another time. As they arrive to the bar, she gave a wave to the bartender. "Damn, it's been so long since I've been here. I'm fucking home." She was a more frequent visitor to this bar than everyone else in the co-op. This was practically her past time during the night. She could probably walk from this bar to the co-op blind. Not safely but she'd get there.

She took a seat and gestured for the two to grab a chair as well. "So, our little 'trial' is gonna be a little drinking challenge. We gotta know your tolerance here buddy. And we're gonna throw you some questions about yourself and things like that. This should be an easy win for you Chris." She motioned for the bartender to give them a round of drinks. "So, Chris, aside from Eli's invitation, why do you want in?"

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[. D O V E]

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[div class=fsize] Jung Sunhee [/div] If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.​

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The meeting concluded with a little assignment. Apparently, all of them (except those who are on schedule to test the new guy) were supposed to meet outside for a group activity after, but Sunny decided to stop by Tessa’s room to attend to some matters. The first matter was a heavy one. After a very wholehearted and mature discussion with Chance, she came to a decision to put an end to their romantic relationship. It wasn’t like she was abandoning him. Sunny promised that they’ll remain as good friends, and that she would still visit and take care of him frequently until he wakes up. Of course, their relationship was fun and Chance has been a very good lover. It was just… she was getting lonely. Surely, he will understand. He loves her after all.

The next matter was not an easy task either. It involved her rummaging through Tessa’s belongings to look for a particular box while silently hoping that she won’t come across anything traumatizing. It took her awhile to finally find the said box which housed the herbalist’s many wigs, and another while for her to pick one which would suit her. “This is for my shorts.” she whispered to herself before grabbing a long black wig and waltzing out of the door, but not before waving at her comatosed ex-boyfriend.

To sum it up, Sunny walked out of Tessa’s door that particular morning with a wig and a brand new relationship status.


…


It was rare for Sunny to be walking around the streets of New York. Wandering around was something difficult to do especially for someone whose face was plastered all over the city. The singer craned her neck upwards as she passed through a billboard, her own smiling face staring back at her, endorsing what seemed to be a red lipstick. Sunny squinted her eyes at her own image before returning her gaze to the road, ‘Wow, I look hot.’ she nodded to herself silently.

The songstress wished that she didn’t have to wear a ridiculous disguise. Then, she could revel in attention as people flock around her and call her name. That wasn’t the case unfortunately. Instead, she has to hide her identity by using Tessa’s wig, topped by a cap, then the hood of her gray sweatshirt, which was accompanied by matching sweatpants and sneakers. As if that wasn’t enough, the lower part of her face was also covered by a white face mask.

Sunny hummed to herself while walking a few steps behind the group, only catching up to them when they stopped in front of a cafe. It wasn’t long before Avery gave the first challenge. Sunny’s eyes wandered to the unsuspecting man eating his breakfast alone and raised a brow. That was when the singer felt something brush against her leg. Looking down, she was mildly surprised to see a dog looking back at her with its tail wagging. She figured that it must have been attracted by her humming- a side effect of her gift. Her eyes glimmered with an idea before she crouched down, pulled her mask down, and whispered some words to the animal. The female stood up as the dog moved to obey her command. It ran across to the man, spread its legs, and began to pee on his shoes, all while Sunny did her best to stop herself from bursting into loud laughter.

She snickered underneath her mask as she watched the man who bolted up from his seat with a loud “Oh shit!” on cue with the dog running away to who knows where. The poor guy opted to investigate his soaked shoes for a few seconds before picking up his belongings and walking away in a rushed manner. He seemed to be eager to save his shoes. Sunny would have felt bad, but his shoes weren’t that nice to begin with!

Sunny faced the team with a proud smirk. It was obvious that she had a smug expression painted on her face through her squinted eyes alone. “That was fun. I hope he buys a new pair. The ones he was wearing were very unflattering.” she commented after drawing a breath. She expected everyone to shower her with compliments until it occurred to her that it meant she would get a free drink from Avery. The singer paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, before blinking, “I guess someone owes me a drink.” she finished, trying her best to seem nonchalant about it.

ebb lostwanderer
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[lostwanderer]

t e s s a

Tessa was briefly pulled out from her scheming ways when Luna stepped up to talk about her latest mission, her curiosity peeking its head as she shifted in her seat and listened to what was being said. The blonde always managed to score the most interesting cases, so there never really was a dull moment when it comes to her though it seemed things ran a little different than usual. She was a little glad to know that the poison she made worked, quickly quelching the thought when she found out it was used against her as she couldn't help but think about the chances. She pinched herself before she got any more ideas, trying to divert her attention back to the discussion while watching the play of emotions on the other members' faces. She shared Sunny's sentiment, frowning slightly upon hearing Avery's words, 'I'm sure you're just as concerned for her wellbeing as everybody else, but you have a really weird way of showing it, dude.' She thought to herself, looking away to untuck her legs from under her. Her eyebrows slightly raised up at the writing exercise, "You must be joking if you actually expect anyone to make a written list at the end of this." She murmured under her breath, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve.

Tugging slightly on her sleeves to cover her hands from the weather when she felt the cool breeze, she gently smoothed out a few stray locks of her wig as she trailed along the group while they go on what she could only assume was like a field trip of sorts. Her mind flew towards the plants in her shop, 'I'll probably have to get started with planting winter plants soon and planning what to do with the warm ones. I'll dry some of those up later for longer shelf time.' She held her hands behind her back, trailing along in her thoughts and almost hitting someone in the process. She murmured a quick apology, stepping back as she realized that the group had stopped walking and were now looking at a particular middle-aged man. Her hand absentmindedly brushed against her knapsack where she keeps a small kit (just in case, you never really know when it'll come in handy with this bunch), weighing out her options whether she would take it or not. She had a few chemicals in there she can mix together to possibly make the man sick and the cafe did have pretty good options for her to choose from, but she could always just get one for herself anytime she wanted without having to work for it.

She figured it was one way to hone their skills though it seemed she didn't have to think about it for long when she saw the dog had already done something about their target or more like his shoes. She put a hand over her mouth to cover the laughter emerging from her, "I mean, he would have to or else, risk going to where he needs to, smelling like a..." She trailed off her mirth with a slight grin, blinking slowly as her smile morphed into a smirk when she realized the implications of the songstress' deed as she snuck glances between the two. 'Well, well, what a turn of events we have here.' An eager voice in her head was itching to point it out for the sheer heck of it while another, more rational, one wanted to see how things would unfold first, to which she would have to agree with, so she whipped out her brick phone, looking like it was left behind by the time (Thanks a lot, James. You jerk.) and played a round of Space Impact to appear disinterested with what's going around her, slowly finding a groove and actually getting immersed in what she was doing.

code by Ri.a

 

[Goonfire]

Rodger Solveig

“Before you go!” Rod halted people at the meeting’s end, flaunting the keychain. “To address some problems we faced last mission, everybody gets one of these before the next one.” He held it by the ring and concentrated for a moment, and it suddenly expanded until it was a hefty battering ram. “Chris, I’ll be getting you this and a knife by week’s end, probably sooner.” Finally, he had multiple projects.
ebb eggsaladsandwitch lostwanderer . D O V E fluticasone Athanas AI10100

Rod met Luna in the commons, arriving exactly 27.53 seconds early, according to his watch. When it was agreed upon to go drinking instead of a normal exam, he threw his arm over Luna’s shoulders and laughed boisterously. “Remember, Luna, you can count on me to have your back, even if we’re both drunk as hell,” he proclaimed proudly on his way into Therapy. Questioning began while they seated themselves and received their drinks. Of course, Rod was the first to tilt his head back and down the mug of beer, almost comically.
AI10100 Athanas

 

[eggsaladsandwitch]

» ELIJAH;
Somehow, Eli managed to make it through the meeting, despite Sunny's obvious glaring in his direction, and toward the tail end of the gathering, he was almost glad to be able to be able to leave the room. The atmosphere was definitely uncomfortable. As he began to get out of his seat, he was struck once again by the carelessness exhibited by their so-called "leader." Yeah, surely even Eli had his strengths. If he were a lesser man, he would have reacted right then, protesting for himself, but instead he sat and simmered.
Why should he even bother with writing a list, he thought, when he was so certain Sunny wouldn't have single nice thing to say about him in return.
-------
As Avery lead the group around the city, an uncharacteristic scowl was etched onto the country boy's face. He was dressed too lightly for the cold weather, but didn't seem to care, more focused on not blowing up at any moment than if his feet got cold. This was the first time in his six months at the coop that they had had to do some silly "team-building exercises" and the atmosphere in the group was very... strange. When Avery stopped and pointed out their target, Eli's brows furrowed. This all seemed a bit uncalled for, really. The man was just trying to enjoy his morning. "Now, hold up--" he was cut off mid-protest by the approach of a dog, and he tilted his head slightly as he watched Sunny whisper in the pup's ears.
His eyes widened when he watched the animal wander over to the unsuspecting victim and piss all over his shoes. The two ladies in their gathering seemed to think it hilarious but Eli was a bit taken aback about the whole thing. "I... I thought we was supposed to, ya' know, help people?" he said, his voice a little more forceful than he thought it had ever been before. His eyes narrowed as he turned toward Avery, the frustration clear on his face. "'n now we're usin' our gifts to just fuckin' take the piss out of unsuspectin' folks? ... Ya know what? You 'ken count me out of this one. Give me a holler when you're done bein' all ate up with this briggity attitude of yers."
And with that, the taxidermist turned heel and stomped away, his hands shoved into his pockets as he grumbled angrily to himself. He already regretted his outburst, but, hell, these people were all acting plumb immature. It was disheartening, really. He was disappointed in all of them, he realized, and then chuckled to himself. This was probably how they unfoundedly felt about him all the time.
After a while of wandering the city, he had been sure he was going back in the direction of the coop, but was surprised to see he had no earthly clue where in the hell he was. "Aw, hell."

»location; home lone 2: lost in new york
»mentions; ebb . D O V E lostwanderer

 

[ebb]

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AVERY
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Unwittingly, he’d designed that test for Sunny. If there was anyone who would manipulate a social situation, it would be her. She breezed through the challenge, coaxing a dog to urinate on the man's feet. It was a painful reminder of when all she needed to do was hum to have Avery wagging his tail. He watched the man scurry away, likely to clean the piss from his shoes.

“I guess someone owes me a drink.”

“A promise is a promise,” he agreed, feeling sympathy for whatever barista had to navigate her complicated orders. “Using the dog was smart. It got him away without directly involving us, and no damages, aside from his shoes.” It physically hurt to compliment her, but the situation called for it. Picking up on the chimes of Tessa’s phone, he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as the exhaustion and frustration caught up at once.

Before he could comment on her disengagement, Eli burst out in a rant that was highly uncharacteristic of him. Not only did he disrespect his methods of training, which were proven to be effective, but opted to make personal comments against Avery in tandem. Training was going great. It was a barely few minutes in and he’d already rewarded Sunny’s manipulative habits, bored Tessa to the point of playing games on her phone, and Eli had just stormed off like an elementary school kid.

He needed a vacation.

From across the bike path, the sound of splashing water was echoed by yells of alarm. Trying to rinse the dog pee from his shoes, their victim had slipped on the grassy embankment and was floundering in the water in panic. “For fucks sake-”

Joining the small crowd that was forming around the man, he quickly realized nobody was stepping in to help. Unwilling to plunge in himself, Avery rolled up his sleeves, balancing on the edge and reaching out a hand. Gray water churned beneath. The man snatched it, sputtering, lurching both of them forwards and nearly yanking Avery in with him. Barely recovering, he was able to haul him onto dry land. Now splashed with dirty river water, Avery brushed his jacket off in disgust. “Thank you,” the man coughed, shivering already. “It’s no problem,” he replied, averting his eyes and reflecting on Eli’s words. Maybe he did have a point. Not that the trouble making country bumpkin did anything but create chaos and carpet stains from his unruly animals.

Returning to Sunny and Tessa, he squinted. “Eli still not back? Guess we should go find him…”

______________________________​

All his life, Jonas had played by the rules. He did what was expected and fit in just well enough to float by. But recently there had been a pressure building in his body, a restlessness that couldn’t be satisfied by working out or running (which he did often). As he looked over the wrecked hood of his old toyota, that gnawing feeling faded to the background.

Twenty minutes ago, he’d been pulled over for a broken headlight - his heart sinking when he noticed the flashing lights in his rearview. Knowing that he had a small bag of marijuana if his left pocket wasn’t enough that big of a deal, really, so he couldn’t explain why he’d taken off down the freeway. Instead of pulling over, he’d accelerated, leading them on a twenty minute chase that eventually landed him downtown.

Now, he found himself face to face with the pole he’d struck moments ago, smoke billowing past his shattered windows. Scrambling, he unlatched the side door, grabbing his gun from the glove box and stumbling onto the street. Ducking into an alley, he willed his legs to go faster, pumping his arms and expelling frantic breaths. His shirt stuck to his chest as he envisioned the police grabbing him and locking him away for good.

Knowing it was only a matter of time before they caught up to him, he thought of different options. Like an answer from the heavens, he spotted a pale guy wandering the sidewalk, glancing around like he was lost. Acting fast, he grabbed him roughly by both arms, dragging them both into a nearby fashion boutique.

Inside, there was one woman behind the counter and one customer browsing nearby. Perfect.

“Y-you both stay where you are,” he yelled, voice quivering. Still holding onto Eli, he pressed the gun behind his back. “If anyone tries anything, I’m shooting this kid,” he warned as his actions slowly caught up with his brain. This was crazy. What had he done? With it being too late to back out now, he clambered for a solution.

“One of you, give me your keys, NOW,” he demanded. “And all the cash in the register.”

He wasn’t going to be caught. Not ever.

. D O V E lostwanderer eggsaladsandwitch


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[fluticasone]

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James woke up in a daze, unaware of the time and date. He tried to remember his last meal, but the only thing on his brain was the rush job he'd taken on. A pale hand reached for a switch, bringing the monitors on his desk to life. With the other, he grabbed his phone. Turning onto his back, he scanned through the emails and finally, his team's messages. Something about a meeting, followed by repeated summons from their great leader about where he was. He'd clearly given up, judging by the threat at the end and the fact he himself had just woken up.

Unfazed, he wandered out his room for what seemed like the first time in a while, bringing along a seemingly clean pair of jeans and a sweater. If the calendar on his phone was correct, his last shower had been a little over a week ago. When he finally felt somewhat closer to human, he took the time to take stock of his surroundings. Lack of noise seemed to indicate he was alone.

"With Chance." He silently amended as he remembered the unconscious male. They hadn't been close, but James wasn't one to speak ill of someone who straddled the line of life and death. Going back to his room, he dumped his laundry in a random corner, and debated going down to the kitchen. Chances were he'd have to cook if he wanted to eat. Frankly, he wasn't feeling like cooking, and he wanted to eat something more substantial than toasted bread. If he was going to get pulled out by everyone, he might as well grab a meal on his way out. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he sent the group a quick text.

> do i still need to go out?​

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[div class=fsize] Jung Sunhee [/div] If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.​

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[div class=body]

If it wasn’t for the mask covering at least half of her face then the shit-eating grin which crossed it when Avery gave her a compliment would have been on display for everyone to see. The last time he said something nice to her was eons ago so she couldn’t help it. Additionally, the thought of receiving free stuff from him brought back memories. She willed for it to go away and rolled her shoulders to shrug, doing her best to play it cool and seem nonchalant, but she kept his word at the back of her mind. It wasn’t a while before a small tune from Tessa’s direction chimed in, causing the singer to turn her head. She raised a curious brow on the other woman’s way when she found her nose-deep in an old-fashioned phone. ‘Wow, that’s one of the peasant-phones from the gloomy guy. Is Tessa so poor that she can’t afford to replace it with a better one? Perhaps her business has been going downhill.` she wondered to herself. She wanted to voice out her thoughts but was deprived of the chance when the crew’s resident taxidermist erupted with a small outburst.

Sunny watched with an amused look as the whole thing progressed, before wheezing softly when Eli angrily marched off to who knows where. “Hah! Briggity attitude. Did you hear that?” she nudged Tessa, seemingly delighted to hear Eli diss her ex-boyfriend, after he went over to join a small crowd which was watching something by the river. ‘Maybe the barn boy’s list of strengths won’t be empty after all.’ she thought to herself as she pulled out her phone and began typing something.

A few minutes later and Avery reemerged from somewhere looking a little bit dirty. “Look for him? What, is he a ten-year-old or something?” then she paused to contemplate about what she just said, “Scratch that. He kinda is.” Sunny let out a sigh. Fine. Maybe she can help them look for the bumpkin— but it wasn’t because she cared about him or anything! A message on the Coop’s group chat successfully distracted the singer. Looking down on her phone, she read James’ text and subtly shook her head at it. She tapped the call button and brought her phone over her ear, “Good morning, James!” she greeted sweetly, remembering that being straightforward worked best with the programmer, “Good timing, we are in need of some assistance and I believe your expertise is perfect for the job. Can you be a dear and help us find Eli? The pale man with light hair who always smells like chemicals? Anyways, he kind of, uh, gotten separated from us not too long ago. I’m sure he’s still somewhere around the area-- Oh, I’ll send you our location. Call and text us back please! Thanks a lot!” she ended the call (or the voice mail, if ever he didn’t answer) then sent him their whereabouts, even though she believed that he can easily get their location through her phone alone. She wouldn’t be surprised because aside from the fact that he was a genius when it comes to technology, he was also the one who made and gave Sunny her new phone. Then again he was also the reason why her old one got toasted in the first place. She still mourns the hundreds of selfie and picture she lost that day.

ebb lostwanderer fluticasone eggsaladsandwitch
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[ebb]

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ASH

When you existed in a world that thrived off exposing the secret, often rotten side of people, you had to hold yourself to a code.The other journalists working under her father weren’t so fortunate. He ran the tabloid conglomerate with an iron grip, known for his harsh criticisms and lack of restraint regarding exposure of personal lives. Most people didn’t see celebrities as real people, and he capitalized on that. Made stacks of crisp bills at the expense of the other parties’ strife. Ash was fortunate enough to garner the respect she needed to make her own decisions, and had the power to turn down assignments she found unsavory.

She surprised herself by taking on this assignment. Normally, these dirty investigations into personal lives were to be avoided. But this time?

It was the curiosity that made her agree to this one. Sunny had been fascinating to Ash for her ability to hold an audience, while other entertainers fell out of relevance. The singer had been basking in popularity for years, but much of her personal life was kept secret. Save from the handful of paparazzi shots of her on outings with significant others and friends, and the speculation of fans dedicated enough to write on her fan sites. Some even waited outside to catch a glimpse of her as she was leaving the co-op, a building supporting a handful of crafters and artisans.

Which was a whole other factor.

Try as she might, Ash couldn’t wrap her head around why someone with her status would live in close quarters with what the rest of the world would classify as nobodies. She could easily have her own penthouse with a view, so why live here?

Standing outside, she pretended to text on her phone, lifting her gaze momentarily to the building that lay before her. Several stories high, the old scaffolding framed large windows and doors leading into a collection of storefronts, each run by a member of the co-op.

As if fate decided to finally smile on her, a door swung open on the other side of the block, letting way for a handful of co-op members to file out.

Working as long as she had in journalism, you picked up a few things. One being when someone was trying to go unseen. Following the group, a whisper of a smile spread across her cheeks, silently tracking one of the figures intently. She could still be wrong, but the confident gait of the girl in a hoodie matched with the videos she’d spend the last few days studying. While she was still uncertain of her identity, it was worth pursuing.

______________________________​

Watching as a man, at random, was peed on by a dog, Ash finally stole the opportunity to contact the potential Sunny. She had to know for sure if it was really her.

“That’s not something you see everyday,” she spoke wryly, standing next to Sunny as if she’d happened to be passing by. Making friends wasn’t her forte, but work was work. Glancing at the antique Tessa was holding in her hand, she forced a laugh. “My god, I haven’t seen one of those in years. I remember when I used to-”

There-

Catching a close up glimpse of Sunny’s eyes from behind her mask, there was no denying it. It had to be her. “Wait, are you Sunhee?” She breathed, trying her hardest to channel a starstruck fan. “I’m sorry, I just-” she fanned her face. “I’m such a big fan. Your music got me through so many hardships, and I couldn’t thank you enough for the music, no, the art, that you’ve produced. I know you’re so busy, but could I pick your brain for a moment? It would mean the world. Can I buy you a coffee?” She smiled, not knowing she was the second person to offer that day.

JONAS

Jonas’ demand hung in the air, echoing against the dusty mirrors and changing room curtains. The two women looked at each other for a single moment that lasted far too long. Finally, one of them jolted, digging a pair of keys attached to a purple fuzzy keychain. Snatching it from her, he glanced into her purse, noticing the soft glow of her phone.

Fuck. They could just call as soon as he left and he’d be caught before he made it down the block.

Muttering to himself, he kicked Eli against the wall behind the register. “Stay there,” he demanded. Working quickly, he tore a handful of blouses and dressed into strips, using them to fasten the hands of both women and Eli. It wouldn’t hold them for long, but long enough to escape the area. Deciding that Eli would give him the least amount of trouble, he dragged him back outside.

Realizing in panic that he’d forgotten to ask what kind of vehicle it was, he breathed in relief when a silver kia responded to the click of the car remote. Panic was beginning to make his hands tremble and cold sweat escape every pore. “Get in,” he choked, slamming the door open in front of Eli. He wished he had a moment to collect himself, but there was no time.



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AVERY
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[div class=body]
> do i still need to go out?

Avery stared down at his phone for a moment in disbelief. Partly due to the timestamp on the message, and partly because of the casual and disinterested tone Avery interpreted from it. Unbelievable. How could anybody sleep for so long? The only reason James ever escaped scrutiny was because he was quiet enough to stay out of the way. Avery realized distantly that he wasn’t entirely sure what the guy did, but that was likely because technology was just far enough out of his knowledge scope.

“At this point, no, but it would’ve been nice to have you at the meeting…” He typed with a scowl. “And by that I mean the meeting was mandatory and you not being there was a bad thing,” he followed up, acknowledging that passive aggressiveness wasn’t going to cut it with James.

Just as he hit send, the trio was approached by a woman with dark hair and sharp features. When she recognized Sunny, Avery fought back a sigh. This wasn’t all that rare and was exhausting to navigate when you didn’t even get to reap the benefits. On the upside, this could be a great excuse to separate from Sunny for a portion of the day, and could let him focus on finding their runaway. “Why don’t you take her up on that?” Avery suggested, feigning innocence. “It would be good to catch up with such a dedicated fan.”


. D O V E lostwanderer eggsaladsandwitch fluticasone

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[lostwanderer]

t e s s a

Tessa got a little too immersed in her game that she barely managed to catch the taxidermist's brief tirade before he stormed off. Pausing her game, she thought back to his words as she found sense in his words, though she slightly lingered on practical application. After all, she can only test her creations on the members of the co-op for so long before their bodies would begin to tolerate it, so she might be needing new vic—volunteers soon. Feeling a nudge from Sunny, she blinked away her thoughts with a slight hum in agreement, "I was thinking when he was going to say something. Guess he finally snapped." She shrugged with a lopsided smirk, placing the hand that wasn't holding her phone on her waist. It was no secret that a few members liked to egg on Elijah's... eccentricities but he never did anything about it so she figured it had no effect on him... until now. 'Good to know you're not a total doormat, Eli.' She thought to herself before she crossed her arms in front of her chest as she tilted her head at the small crowd that was forming by the river, her curiosity beginning to bloom until she nipped it at the bud when she deemed it uninteresting.

When her phone let out a sharp tune, she uncrossed her arms to check on the message from James, which made her snort a bit. 'Ah, so the signal finally made contact with his spaceship. Wow.' She was tempted to tell him he needed to come, mostly just to mess with him when she noticed Avery, coming back from what she assumed to be the restroom, "Aren't you a little too old to be playing with water?" She gestured at the wet spots on his clothes with a slight grin. She glanced around for any sign of Elijah, thinking that he should have been back by now, "Yeah, we should probably go look for him. He might have found something of interest and lost his way in the process." She thought aloud when she noticed an unfamiliar face had joined them, confusion crossing her features for a brief moment until she realized why she was there, or rather who she was there for. This sort of thing happened way too often that she didn't find it in her to even bat an eye anymore as she pocketed her phone and just kept her silence, masking off her disinterest in the topic with a small, polite smile.

code by Ri.a

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[Athanas]

Chris nodded along as Avery gave him things to do. However, he was taken aback when Avery finished giving his orders and went about.... Not helping? Chris was about to point this out to him when he realized that he probably wouldn't appreciate it too much. And since he was the guy responsible for judging whether or not they'd take him in or not, he figured it might be a good plan to stay on his good side. For now, at least.

He heard Luna begin debriefing everyone on the details of her mission. What he heard was somewhat worrying. What she described was no small gang hit, but a manhunt of a high-value target. He had no clue operations of this scale were even possible with a group like this. He flinched when he heard Avery scold her. It was clear she had tried her best against devastating odds. Hell, the mere fact she was alive was quite the surprise. Again, however, he managed to hold his tongue.

At the mention of him being challenged, he was not seriously worried. His ability made him strong and durable, and he was certain he could pull through. However, Sunny's attitude and look towards him was enough to melt his attitude like Ice in the summer. He was perfectly aware he has annoyed her when he chose to laugh in her face, and now she would be in charge of judging his performance... He expected something utterly disgusting to come out of this. Inadvertedly, his eyes locked with hers, unable to hide his fear.

Thankfully, Luna and Rod seemed much nicer by comparison. They had taken him to a bar, bought a round for all of them, and claimed they wanted to test his tolerance. He laughed at this:"Hehe. Oh, have no fear about my tolerance! I can assure you, I've drunk enough cheap whiskey to endure whatever you throw at me and maintain a somewhat-level head."

Luna's question was expected, but still threw him a bit off. Downing the shot the bartender had brought him, he thought about it for a second and said: "Well, straight to the hard questions, eh? Well, I could try to bullshit you by saying that I'm here for "Justice!" Or because I wish to "pefrect my craft". But I won't. I'm here because I have no idea where else I can go. There ain't many Roman emperors left to give sculptors like me a steady a job, and I don't have diplomas in anything else. So yeah. I'm just looking to make a living for now. If I can do so while helping stop some bad guys, all the better.

...Sorry if you were expecting something more heroic. I wish I had a better answer, too."

His eyes had turned sad, his posture sagging. But he wouldn't break-not here, not yet. He turned towards the bartender, waving for him to bring over a second round

AI10100 Goonfire

 

[eggsaladsandwitch]

» ELIJAH;
What the fuck.

What the fuck.

Before Elijah could even tell what was going on, he was roughly being yanked by his (still freshly cat-scratched) arms into a nearby building. “What’re you—“ his question was cut short was the man pressed a fucking gun into his back. The taxidermist’s mouth immediately snapped shut, mind moving at a mile a minute as he realized that shit, karma was real. This is what he got for mouthing off to their leader, huh?
As he was hardly kicked down against a wall, Eli closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing thoughts and, gosh was his pulse always this fast? In any other situation he would have tried to get free, but this was A GUN. The events of his childhood and the circumstances surrounding his grandfather’s death had left a strong(er than the average person’s) fear of firearms in his heart and he was not about to be shot today, thank you.
As he was dragged to the car, he slowly, tentatively got into the car, and then, in a spark of some sort of dumbass confidence, turned to his supposed kidnapper. “I’ll, uh, I’ll do whatever yah want, but, c-could you put the gun away?” He asked, his voice a bit croaky as he added, “Please?

» BRIAR;
A large black bird, not necessarily native to New York City but having been seen in the area quite a bit recently, scanned the ground below, honing in on a head of blue hair. Taloned feet landed surprisingly gently on the shoulder of the Coop’s resident psychic’s shoulder, and then, much less gently, squawked loudly in his ear. It then hopped down off his shoulder, onto the ground, and turned to face the small group, before flapping it’s wings in a “follow-me-my-dumbass-owner-has-been-kidnapped” kinda way.

»location; HELL
»mentions; ebb . D O V E lostwanderer

 

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[div class=fsize] Jung Sunhee [/div] If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.​

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​

[div class=body]
If Sunny had a dime everytime someone recognized her despite wearing a disguise then she would...well... still be rich. The singer felt disappointed that someone was able to see through even though she bothered to borrow a wig from Tessa to make it seem more convincing. Nevertheless, the star in her kicked in and she automatically flashed a smile to her fan although she couldn’t see it thanks to the mask. Sunny’s ego swelled with every word as the dark-haired woman showered her with compliments. It wasn’t because she was a stranger to flattery but rather the opposite. She simply couldn’t get enough of it.

“Oh, coffee? I’d love to but someone already-”

“Why don’t you take her up on that?” came Avery’s comment from the side, “It would be good to catch up with such a dedicated fan.” he continued.

There was a brief silence as Sunny stared at him for a moment. She opened her mouth as if she had something to say before closing it again. "Sounds like a plan." she flatly responded as she turned to her heel and waved at the group. She linked arms with her so-called ‘dedicated fan’ and began to lead her to a nearby cafe.

“I want an extra hot, half breve, half skim, no foam triple shot latte, with two pumps of hazelnut, one pump of caramel, and some whip cream, but not like a lot of whip cream.” she spoke as she stared ahead. Sunny doesn’t usually let strangers, even though they claim to be a fan, to have coffee with her especially during a team activity but she figured today could be an exception. Besides, she felt as though the psychic was practically shooing her away and it made her want to punch something. ‘They better not call me for help when things get fucked up.’ came her bitter thought while walking towards their destination.

In order to get her mind off her frustration, the diva peeked at the person beside her, “So, what do I call you?” she asked as she withdrew her arm from the other.

ebb lostwanderer
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[Pine]

> do i still need to go out?

“Fucking lazy ass. Just fucking getting up whenever he wants to,” Claire ranted under her breath, outraged by the six-word text lighting the screen of her brick Nokia phone.

She actually had no real reason to be so mad about it. Had it been up to her, she would be meandering her way out of bed around this same time to brew coffee in the kitchen, as opposed to trotting along a crosswalk, cheap already-cold gas station espresso in one hand, on her way to meet up for a stupid team building exercise.

Claire had managed to excused by arguing she needed more time to prepare her and Tessa’s test for the possible-new guy. As tempting as it was to stay and unpack the latest shipment she’d gotten for her studio, she didn’t want the hassle of finding Tessa later when it was time.

When Avery’s reply sent to the group, she huffed and shoved her phone into her sweatpants pocket. “Of fucking course.”

All she read from Avery’s text was, “No, James, I’m giving you a free pass because I can’t be assed to deal with you.”

“Pisser,” she said.

Claire had been in an exceptionally rotten mood the past couple of weeks. The whole vibe of the co-op had darkened since Chance’s coma. As sad as it was for anyone to be in a coma, she had been hoping everyone would get over it a little faster. Frankly, she found Chance’s temper to make him a huge fucking nuisance, and she could not wrap her mind around Rod ever being so damn attached to him. Even Sunny, who Claire had assumed was only with him because he was easy, had stopped flirting with her. After realizing that, Claire started keeping to herself.

There was a sliver of hope for her today, however, in the form of a girl bleeding all over the floor and a six-foot case of poor timing. She didn’t know what the hell use he’d be as a sculptor, but she hoped he would make the cut, if for no reason other than to just have some change.

Two more blocks before she found Tessa and Avery and... no one else. She scanned the area from under her snapback before stopping in front and asking, “Where is everyone?”

Claire looked down at the sound of wings whipping the air. “Is that Briar?”

 

[ebb]

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JONAS


Pumped full of adrenaline, he barely registered Eli’s request and only gripped the gun tighter. “No chance,” he breathed, swiping the sweat-plastered hair from his face. “Stop complaining or you’ll start wishing you had the ability to keep whining,” he yelled as he slammed the car into gear, careening from the parking space and gashing the mirrors from the cars parked adjacent.

The faint noise of sirens ricocheted from the surrounding buildings.

Trying to shake off the impending sense of a net closing in, he muttered under his breath. Why didn’t he just take the fall one mistake ago? Two mistakes ago? Every time he went further he was digging himself deeper into shit, every choice leading down a one way path.

“Hey buddy, we’re going to get out of this just fine,” he exclaimed with high pitched assurance, talking more to himself than Eli. “Things like this happen all the time, and it’s no big deal. Really. No big deal at all. I’m going to drive home and make a nice dinner. Or wait, no,” he swiveled to look at Eli, swerving off the right lane and denting a road sign. “We’ll stop at a drive through and pick someone up, what’re you in the mood for?” In his hysteria, he established his captive as his partner in crime.

In a flash of lights and sirens, a squad of police cars cut across the upcoming intersection and blocked the path ahead. Jonas slammed the breaks so hard the seatbelt cut across his chest and flung Eli into the seat in front of him. Remembering once again that Eli was his captive, he opened his door and scrambled to grab him while the police flooded from their cars. Weapons drawn, they used their doors as cover. Instructions to drop his weapon boomed from speakers, but he had his own plan.

“Just let me go home,” he whined, grabbing Eli again with an exhausted lack of enthusiasm. “I made a mistake okay? Everyone makes a mistake here and there,” he complained, stumbling towards the wall of law enforcement. With Eli as his shield, he felt invincible.


AVERY

In such a lively and packed city, finding someone wasn’t an easy task. While his abilities had its uses, this situation wasn’t one of them, and running around touching street posts would likely reward him with weird looks and nothing more. Engrossed in his thoughts and frustration with James, he jumped when a large mass gripped gently onto his shoulder. He stared down at the bird, still grimacing from the loud cawing that had been released into his ear.

“Briar?” He observed, crouching to get closer and confirm the bird’s identity. Most of Eli’s pets learned to keep their distance after Avery made it clear he didn’t want anything to do with them. Something must be wrong for Briar to approach him out of the blue. “Bizarre,” he muttered, standing again and noticing Claire’s entrance. “Claire, glad you could join us” he nodded in greeting. Avery had a healthy suspicion of their newer member, but she had yet to disappoint him in any significant way. He was friendly enough for now. “Sunny is busy, so she won’t be joining us,” he replied, barely hiding his relief. “The others are putting the new guy to the test, and as for Eli,” he motioned to Briar, “it looks like he might’ve got himself stuck in a well or something, we should probably find him before he gets into trouble.”

“It looks like he wants us to follow,” he frowned in skepticism, feeling like chasing down a bird would be a waste of time. But with the alternative being a day with Sunny, he would gladly take the chance. “Tessa, Claire, let’s see if we can find Eli. This looks like our only lead so far,” he decided, the disappointment evident in his tone. Following the flapping wings, he wondered what he did to deserve this moment in his life.



ASH

Feeling guilty for subjecting the barista to Sunny’s tall order, Ash was comforted by the success of being close to Sunny. They were practically best friends. A wry smile crept across her features as her triumph was barely concealed. She still needed some decent information before she started celebrating. “You can call me Ash,” she smiled warmly, taking a seat in a worn leather armchair. “And again, I can’t believe I’m talking to you right now, you’re such a legend,” she breathed. “But that must come with it’s challenges,” she cooed, suddenly serious. “I can’t imagine the pressure you’re under all the time, do you ever have the chance to relax?” Opening the door for Sunny to let on about her life, she prayed the singer would take the bait.



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Jung Sunhee​

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If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.​

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​

[div class=body]After Sunny spent an excruciating amount of time defining the right amount of whipped cream on her coffee, she took the seat beside her self-claimed fan with a nonchalant look on her face. She still wasn't over the fact that she basically got tossed like some sort of a giveaway- by Avery, no less! He promised to buy her coffee, yet here she was; having the blasted drink with a complete stranger.

'Well, it could be worse.' Sunny thought to herself as shifted to look at her companion.

Ash, apparently the name of her passionate supporter, wasn't too shabby-looking at least. Of course, she was wearing too much black for Sunny's taste, but at least her face was symmetrical. If she took a meat cleaver down the center of her skull, she would get matching halves. It was very important. But naturally, the cherry on top was the fact that Ash was pumping her with compliments.

"Oh, please." The singer rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand upon getting called a legend. Although despite the gesture, she obviously wanted to hear more since the ends of her now-exposed lips were curling upwards.

However, Ash suddenly stirred their conversation onto a more serious path. Somewhat caught off-guard, Sunny paused for a little while to ponder. She has spent time with fans before but none of them really asked her about such matters. Usually, they'd be more curious about other things- such as the identity of a person she got photographed walking around with, the reason why she was waving a handgun outside a mall strip somewhere, her daily skin care routine, and yada-yada.

As she took her time, the barista finally handed them their orders. Sunny palmed her cup thoughtfully, allowing its warmth to seep through her skin. It only reminded her of what happened earlier- when she did her best only to get shooed away like an unneeded dog. "No... I don't get any break." She blurted out, her brow furrowing after as she grew more upset. "In fact, it's really irritating. Like, I'm doing my best here, working myself off and bestowing my music to the world, but some people just don't appreciate me."

Sunny thought that she was spouting facts right then and there. She might be a little bit difficult every now and then, but she was at least passionate about her craft. It wasn't just about her career as a superstar, either. She also found it infuriating how she has to spend her free time doing missions; heeding Avery's annoying barks, putting up with barn boy's nose-decaying smell, hoping Tessa would spare her from her shady experiments, and other riling things of the same scale. Heck, she even had to take care of her comatosed ex-boyfriend! (Good girlfirend and all!)

"Take the people I'm living with in the Co-op for example!" She unwittingly ranted about her buildingmates. "Earlier, we were supposed to spend time with one another, but you know what happened. I mean- no offense, I love spending time with a fan, such as yourself, but I just felt like they handed me away. It's, like, they don't want me, you know? I feel like that one wannabe rapper who dissed me on Cosmusic magazine last month- utterly insignificant!" She took a sip from her coffee angrily.


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[eggsaladsandwitch]

» ELIJAH;
Eli's head was spinning as his captor shoved him into the back seat of the car and then took off with barely enough time to even think about strapping himself in. The breakneck speed at which this maniac was driving kept him from doing so as they moved, and he eventually settled for just gripping at the straps for dear life. This man's driving was almost more terrifying than the gun he kept waving around--

Wait.

What?

Eli blanched as the man looked back at him and asked him what kind of food he wanted? If he was honest, he felt more like he was a bout to vomit than any kind of hungry. Before he could even make his brain work to form any sort of confused response, the man slammed on the breaks, throwing the unsuspecting taxidermist against the seat in front of him, sending him tumbling to the floor of the car. "Ow..." he groaned, only given a moment to asses his situation before he was yanked from the car.

Yanked from the car into the middle of a police stand-off. "You've got tuh be fuckin' kidding me."

»location; i give up
»mentions; ebb

 

[lostwanderer]

t e s s a

Once their guest had whisked off the songstress away to the nearby cafe, Tessa could only roll her eyes with a slight exhale, 'You would think with how long she's been active in the business, she would have at least learned to disguise herself a little better by now. Not just slap a wig on and call it a day, this isn't some teeny bopper tv show.' She shook away her thoughts, deeming the issue irrelevant. 'Whatever, she likes her share of attention anyways, so I'm not surprised anymore. For all I know, she was just begging to be recognized. Just as long as she's going to return my wig or replace it if and when she managed to destroy it, it's not really my problem.'

She impatiently tapped her foot against the sidewalk, waiting for further developments on this field day whether she was going to be given a task or she was free to go about on her own. She began to compose a message to their resident computer geek for a lead on how to find Eli so they could come get him and get things over with when a sharp squawk caught her attention, slowly blinking in surprise as the big black bird descended from Avery's shoulder to look right at them with its dark beady eyes. Recognizing it from one of the displays in the taxidermist's room, this might be Briar and her thoughts were confirmed by their leader, just as well. She waved at Claire when she spotted her coming, before she looked back down at the flapping bird, "Something tells me he might have already found himself in trouble." She spoke, traces of curiosity at the current development peeking out from her tone. She glanced at her phone to check for the time, 'I still have time before I have to go and check back on Chance, I can actually tag along on this search for once. Also, I feel like this is heaps more interesting than what Avery had in store for us.' Despite the psychic's evident disdain at the turn of events, she still shot a quick text to notify Sunny what they were doing, just in case she was able to wrap up quickly, before she nodded and followed the bird to where it was leading them.

code by Ri.a

 

[ebb]

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JONAS

Cornered, he swiveled back, glancing around feverishly for a chance at escape. The car door creaked as he leaned against it, stumbling for a solution. With his flight response cleanly sealed off, his next instinct was to fight his way out. “This is so fucked,” he whined, like it wasn’t his own fault. Swept with a cold sensation, he raised the gun shakily. “I’m not afraid,” he called across the intersection, his voice sounding small against the sirens. If he could make himself formidable enough, maybe they would leave him alone. “I said, I’m not afraid,” he yelled again, kicking Eli forwards and impulsively firing the gun in warning.

The slick sweat combined with the shakiness of his grip caused the bullet to stray closer to his captive than he intended.

In fact.

Fuck. Realizing he’d accidentally shot his human shield, he froze, staring out at the scene with detached panic. The screams from the officers faded into white noise and the air around him became too thick to breathe.


AVERY

"Something tells me he might have already found himself in trouble."

“God, I hope not,” he sighed, rubbing his neck. “But you’re probably right, I’d be more surprised to find him not in trouble,” he watched Briar urge them down the block. “It’s like he exists to make my life more difficult,” he added, mostly to himself. “If people could be self sufficient for five minutes I might be able to get real work done.”

Rounding another corner, Avery brought himself to a jog to keep up with Briar. Glancing back to make sure Tessa and Claire were still following, it dawned on him that they could use some backup. Instinctively, he thumbed through his phone to Luna’s number. After the second cycle of not getting through, he remembered Luna telling him she’d ditched her phone. Cursing under his breath, he ran down his contacts until he reached Rod’s number.

Finally getting through, he didn’t wait for Rod to answer before diving into directions. “Rod, we can’t find Eli, and something is wrong with one of his pets. I need you and Luna over here now,” he brought the phone away from his ear to text Rod a nearby address. “Bring the new guy if you have to, but don’t let him slow you down.”

eggsaladsandwitch lostwanderer Pine AI10100 Goonfire Athanas





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